


i'm still learning to love, just starting to crawl

by 5sosandfood



Category: 5 Seconds of Summer (Band), All Time Low, One Direction (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, M/M, ashton is friends with one direction, ashton is nice, just read it, luke is clumsy and awkward, luke is friends with all time low and calum, michael only has like two lines
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-12-24
Updated: 2013-12-24
Packaged: 2018-01-05 23:45:52
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,665
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1099965
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/5sosandfood/pseuds/5sosandfood
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>luke is a baby lamb, shakespeare doesn't make sense, and ashton actually really likes luke</p><p> </p><p>title from a great big world's "say something" :)</p>
            </blockquote>





	i'm still learning to love, just starting to crawl

**Author's Note:**

> the title is irrelevant and i'm sorry for mistakes and the lack of actual italics since I wrote this on my phone.
> 
> hope you enjoy :)

right, okay.

 

one foot in front of the other.

 

easy.

 

you've known this since you were seven months old.

 

okay. good. one step down…a whole room to go.

 

"hey, you okay there mate?" fuck. okay, walk quick and maybe you won't fall flat on your face. go go go.

 

alright, so much for that plan. forgetting to tie the shoes is a definite mistake.

 

"shit! you really are a baby lamb aren't you?" luke hates himself even more for falling down when his brain clearly promised to make sure his feet didn't send him face first into the floor.

 

"man, d'you forget how to walk?" luke doesn't want ashton irwin to be there at his side, coddling him. that's his mum's job and his mum's job only, thank you very much.

 

"nah, I just- forgot to tie my shoes," luke replies, not daring to look at the beauty.

 

luke can remember the day as if it were yesterday. once upon a time when luke was a little third year squirt, a new student came along: ashton irwin. luke remembers all the kids flocking around ashton because he just gave off this good vibe, even as an eight year old. luke remembered being lucky enough to have been sitting at the same table as little ashton when he told everyone why he moved. as far as luke knows, he's never publicly spoken about it since then.

 

"oh okay." ashton smiles and luke finds himself dumbfounded as he feels a disturbance on his vans and looks up to see ashton tying his shoes.

 

"you don't have-"

 

"well i'm already down here, so might as well, right?" ashton shrugs.

 

"that's very nice of you," luke whispers, deciding its best not to add "please marry me" to the end.

 

"nah," ashton insists, standing up on his own. luke marvels at the goddamn biceps on that boy.

 

ashton reaches out his hand to luke and luke, being the utter dickhead he is, stares at the long fingers in awe before the mechanisms in his brain turn (cleaning off the cobwebs) and he takes ashton's hand for help off the ground.

 

the plan that was originally "operation don't embarrass yourself in front of ashton irwin" turned out to be the biggest failure of the year.

 

"ooh, shakespeare?" ashton comments, just noticing the book luke had at his side throughout the entire dilemma.

 

"yeah, it- uh…its pretty dumb."

 

"i found a paraphrased version online. its so great and it actually makes sense."

 

"shakespeare making sense? I've never heard of such a thing…" luke teases and ashton laughs. oh my god, luke made ashton laugh. he checks that off his mental bucketlist.

 

"hey, what's your number? i'll send you the link. trust me, its a real lifesaver," ashton explains, rebelliously reaching behind the librarian's desk and retrieving a sticky note and pen. another check on luke's mental bucketlist and another stab in the fucking eye because god, ashton is the cutest creature ever to roam the face of the fucking earth.

 

luke gives ashton his number. yep, he actually does without clamming up and ashton even reread it to make sure it was right and it was! luke didn't mess up for once!

 

in biology, luke zones out (as per usual) and writes A+L and L+A on the top of his paper. he decides he likes L+A better because it seems that los angeles is a more appealing thing than the name al.

 

at home that night, michael hovers around while luke does his algebra homework.

 

while michael blabs about his day and what level he's on in gta, luke can't seem to concentrate on solving for x, so he concentrates more on solving for a and l (the answers are ashton and luke).

 

"who's a?" michael annoyingly asks.

 

"ash…ashley," luke replies, quickly saving his own ass. he knows if michael knows it's ashton, he'd never hear the end of it.

 

"please luke," mike groans. "i know you like dick." luke's jaw falls open because is he really that obvious? he's not fruity or anything, he knows it. "so I'm just gonna go out on a limb here and say its ashton irwin?"

 

"what the fuck, have you been reading my diary!" luke knows he shouldn't have said that because for god's sake, he doesn't even have a diary. michael gives him a stare, luke not catching on until michael's already sprung from the bean bag chair, tearing the room to shreds looking for the nonexistent diary. "mike stop! there is no diary!" dead in his tracks, michael stops and glares at his blonde friend. "now help me clean this up, asshole." surprisingly, michael helps with only a bit of protest.

{***}

at six, luke's phone buzzes with a message from an unknown number.

 

he wishes all messages from unknown numbers were this great.

 

hey luke! its ashton :) here's that link! good luck lol

 

is he supposed to reply? does ashton even want him to reply? won't that be annoying? if he does reply, what would he say? luke never texts hot people, how is he supposed to know what to do?

 

luke replies with a simple "thanks bro!"

 

ashton doesn't reply and luke instantly regrets replying. god, he probably sounds desperate now. well he /is/ desperate, but he doesn't want to sound it too.

 

operation scare ashton irwin away is now in full swing.

 

luke is pretty sure he's the only human that can scare ashton away.

 

one of the things that made ashton so admirable was that he treated everyone equally. like luke; ashton didn't scorn him when he fell flat on his face. no, ashton helped the pitiful guy up, tied his shoes even. its moments like that when luke wishes he wasn't the only person in love with ashton-- maybe then he'd have a chance. oh yeah, and if he were a female. that'd help too.

{***}

ashton had always been one of those people who didn't have a clique (in a good way). ashton would always sit with whoever looked like they needed company or whoever asked. luke learned that ashton was always just trying to please others.

 

the next day at lunch, unexpected is the understatement of the century when ashton irwin comes waltzing over to luke's table. (luke had somehow ended up in the punk clique. probably just because he plays guitar and has a lip piercing.)

 

"uh hi," luke murmurs when ashton's plate drops onto the table next to luke's.

 

"hi," ashton replies in his cute, stuffy voice. luke loves how ashton's always the perkiest person within a twenty kilometer radius. he's a walking ball of sunshine.

 

"is it alright if i sit here?" ashton asks (understandably) after luke stares at him for a solid half minute.

 

"oh, yeah. sorry." i was just staring at the perfection you call your face.

 

"good." ashton smiles brightly and reaches out for the ketchup as if this is routine. god, how luke wishes this were routine.

 

"luke, who's your friend?" calum asks, earning the attention of everyone at the table.

 

"uh, ashton. ashton irwin."

 

"well, god, i know that." calum rolls his eyes. /then why'd you ask…/ "i mean, how are you guys friends? you're a little off his level, lukey." calum pats luke's beanie, but that doesn't make him feel any better.

 

"we met at the library yesterday," luke mumbles. calum just turned his mansion of confidence into a tiny, little shack. calum furrows his eyebrows then turns away, probably confused as to why the hell luke gave such a short and disappointed sounding answer.

 

they eat in silence for far too long (it's probably only like five minutes but) until calum and the rest of the posse decide to be "badass" and ditch the rest of the day. luke and ashton deny their offer to join.

 

"so, uh, if you're not busy today after school, i was wondering if you wanna go grab some frozen yogurt?" ashton suggests once they're alone. luke's baby-luke in his head drops his jaw and does somersaults.

 

"just you and i?"

 

"yeah, is that a problem? i'm not a rapist or anything, i swear to god. i'll keep you safe-"

 

"it's fine, i was just…wondering." luke tries to continue functioning but that "i'll keep you safe" has him on the verge of either death or projectile vomiting.

 

"so it that a yes?" ashton asks, putting a giant grin onto his perfectly sculptured face.

 

"yeah, uh…yes!" luke replies, trying to sound cool. he's so not cool.

 

"awesome. meet me at the front entrance today okay?" luke agrees with no protest, but he's sad because his time with ashton is up for now as he has to leave to finish up his chemistry homework.

{***}

ashton is waiting at the front just as he had promised. luke does a happy dance on the inside because hey! ashton didn't stand him up! that's a start, right?

 

ashton greets luke, then offers to carry his books. luke denies, but ashton insists.

 

they head off to ashton's car and luke is erupting because how much hotter can a guy get?

 

the frozen yogurt chill session thing feels so much like a date.

 

ashton buys and he asks questions about luke and nothing else.

 

"i'm really lame," luke laughs when ashton had been interrogating him for a few minutes.

 

"not to me," ashton retorts. good lord, how is luke supposed to function with /that/?

 

"you play guitar?" ashton exclaims when luke shares this tidbit. luke nods in response, choosing not to say "is it not obvious?" because he remembers that ashton isn't stereotypical. "dude, i play drums!" okay. luke didn't see that one coming. apparently ashton can get hotter. great. /fabulous./

 

"really?" luke asks, half in real disbelief and half in fake interest.

 

"yes! oh my god, let's start a garage band!"

 

of course they didn't, but luke couldn't help but fantasize about starting a garage band with ashton.

{***}

it's two weeks of ashton and luke doing homework together every afternoon when luke sees the first flyer for the annual mistletoe ball.

 

it doesn't take long for him to notice that ashton isn't focused on geography in study hall, so he feels inclined to ask what's up.

 

 

"do you do mistletoe ball? like, do you and your friends do that kind of stuff? i mean, like, if you don't have you thought about it? because it's our last year here and st-"

 

"slow down." luke courageously places his finger on ashton's lips to silence him because of his rambling. "me, calum, and michael went in year nine, but that's it. after that, michael dropped out and our new crew wasn't really into school sponsored events."

 

"well could you guys maybe take it into consideration this year?" ashton asks, sounding hopeful. "this is our last year and i want you to be there." luke's heart drops off a cliff but is saved by a ledge before it smacks to the ground. "maybe as my date…if you're willing to call it that?" luke's heart wiggles off the ledge and splats into the ground. "look, i'll buy the ticket, the tuxes, everything-"

 

"i'll go anyway, ashton," luke interrupts. it seems he always delays stuff to make it seem like he doesn't care. he should probably break that habit. "i'll buy my own stuff."

 

"no, i'm taking /you./ i'm supposed to buy the stuff. let me do it."

 

"that's so expensive," luke whispers. "i can't let you do that…"

 

"yes you can. i want to."

{***}

"how would you guys feel if i went to mistletoe ball?" luke squeaks at lunch while his friends rant and rave about some band.

 

"you'd look kinda stupid going alone, don't ya think?" calum says. luke wants to punch that asshole in the face sometimes.

 

"no, no, no!" jack exclaims. "he's going with ashton irwin! ashton irwin asked him!" luke wonders when he became an open book to everyone.

 

"what? how do you know?" calum bursts, acting as if luke isn't sitting right in front of them.

 

"because he wouldn't be blushing so bad if it was anyone but," jack replies. everyone choruses an "aww" and luke's face gets redder and redder.

 

"will you guys go?" luke asks. "i mean, it's our last year…i think we should go…"

 

"we don't have dates," calum uses this as his excuse, but luke really isn't that stupid.

 

"yeah, and school functions are always shit," alex adds.

 

"i know but…will you guys do it for me? for the sake of luke and ashton? pleasepleasepleasepleaseplease." luke is begging and he knows it, but, frankly, he doesn't care.

 

"it's so expensive luke…" alex mumbles, and luke can tell his pleading is working somewhat because alex is seriously contemplating.

 

"look, you guys don't even have to wear tuxes and i'll buy your tickets," luke suggests.

 

"why do we need to go though?" rian asks. "you've got ashton anyway."

 

"because i might need advice and that's, like, bro code, right? you can't leave me hanging, guys…i wouldn't be able to handle that long with purely ashton. you guys know how awkward i am-"

 

"alright stop begging, we'll go," alex says. he doesn't look too pleased but he gave in and that's all that really matters to luke.

 

"yes!" luke cheers, standing up and rounding the table. "thank you, thank you so much." luke plants an obnoxious kiss on the cheek of each of his friends. (they wipe it off but it's the thought that counts.)

{***}

luke's mother is oozing with excitement when luke tells her that he's going to mistletoe ball.

 

she's going a mile a minute with all these plans and it's giving luke a headache, so he cuts her off with "ashton's handling everything." she kinda deflates after that.

 

when luke resides to his room, he unlocks his phone to see a cute message from ashton.

 

facetime pleeeeaaasee :)

 

and how the hell is luke supposed to say no to /that./

 

"royal blue or raspberry corsages?" that's ashton's greeting as he appears on the screen with two of these said "corsages" in each of his hands.

 

"ash, its two weeks away," luke mumbles, laughing.

 

"i'm just anxious!" ashton bursts in his usual chirpy tone. "you know, you're my first actual date to any of these dances, lukey…" oh, did you hear that? yeah, it's just the sound of luke's heart falling to the bottom of his stomach.

 

"what? i thought you said you went every year?"

 

"yes, but i always go with friends. never with an actual date." ashton is quick to change the subject-- "speaking of friends, are yours going?"

 

"yeah, i talked them into it," luke replies with a chuckle. a toothy smile spreads onto ashton's face and the dimples indent his cheeks. luke melts.

 

"yes! maybe my friends can hang out with yours? oh my god, we can be like in the movies where the two-people-dating's groups of friends are all friends and they go bowling and- not like we're dating or anything, but we are-"

 

"ashton, you're rambling again," luke interrupts coyly. ashton looks down and a blush spreads across his cheeks. for a short bit, the two look at each other through the camera lens with identical facial expressions- grinning like idiots.

 

"so about those corsages?"

{***}

after a week of delaying the answer (at ashton's expense), luke finally sides with the royal blue corsage.

 

it's two a.m. when ashton finally decides he's just gonna stay the night at luke's and save himself a punishment.

 

tired and delirious, luke and ashton talk about things that would be usually forbidden.

 

like their sexuality.

 

"i haven't gotten a boner from a chick since year nine," ashton admits. "but i've never really, like, found a guy i liked either, you know? i guess i just knew, maybe, because girls didn't get to me like they should. like at this party last year, some girl showed me her boobs and i didn't even react. i guess that's when i /knew/ something was off."

 

"i was sure i was into guys when my dad asked me if i liked dick." luke shrugs. "i didn't tell anybody, but it seems like everyone knew already so it didn't really matter."

 

they sit in silence for just a minute or two longer when ashton says, "i'm glad we finally talked about this." and luke is too.

{***}

"are you stupid?" louis scorns, knitting his eyebrows at ashton. "you can't take him to a dance /as your date/ and not ask him to be your boyfriend."

 

"but i-"

 

"no. you're going to ask him to be your boyfriend tonight even if i have to force you." louis has no further comment on the subject as he storms off into his room.

 

"how am i supposed to do that?" ashton mutters sadly.

 

"just ask, duh," niall answers. ashton wants to slam a baseball bat on that blonde head. "you can be like 'lukey poo, may i please have the pleasure of calling you my one and only boyfriend?'" ashton sends niall a deathly glare.

 

"alright, you don't exactly have to do /that/," harry states, shaking his head at niall. "maybe when you slow dance or something you can ask him? you just need to do it or he'll think you're not into him."

 

"what if i mess up?"

 

"that's what we're there for," niall smiles, crossing the room to sling his arm across ashton's shoulder. 

{***}

luke's probably sweated a hole through his tux.

 

fucking ashton fucking irwin is going to be fucking at his home to fucking pick him up as his fucking date to a fucking dance!

 

luke only waits in his tux for five minutes until ashton is there to pick him up.

 

luke's mother takes stupid pictures and luke just wants to leave and get on to the dance and just get this over with as soon as possible. is that too much to ask?

 

when they get in ashton's car, ashton gushes about how great luke looks and luke doesn't quite know what to say-- if anyone looks great, it's ashton.

 

of course, luke's friends aren't there yet. not like he didn't expect this out of them, but ashton doesn't quite know them like luke does.

 

"oh my god, they're not here! you don't wanna be here anymore, do you? i'm so sorry, i can take you home-"

 

"ashton, this is normal. they're late to everything," luke chuckles, placing his hand on ashton's shoulder consolingly. ashton takes a deep breath and he and luke head inside.

 

luke can not believe he's at a dance with ashton irwin as his date. its more surreal than anything. surreal and terrifying. that explains his situation perfectly.

 

"luke, these are my friends louis, zayn, harry, niall, and liam," ashton says and he's glowing. luke's heart just melts at the radiance of that boy.

 

"hi," luke squeaks. "my friends aren't here yet, but i'm sure you don't wanna-"

 

"no, we'd love to meet your friends!" liam exclaims in interruption, making luke jump at the sudden disturbance. "bring them over when they get here!" luke smiles nicely, thinking about how nice they are and how nice ashton is. it's a very nice thought.

 

ashton converses with his friends while luke stands there awkwardly (as per usual). he's lured into the conversation once or twice, but he only answers with one or two words. luke's phone buzzes with a text from calum after a bit.

 

dude where are you?! we're at the food

 

"my friends are here." luke gets ashton's attention by tugging on his arm.

 

"oh okay. hey, we'll be right back you guys," ashton tells his friends then lets luke lead him to /his/ friends.

 

the first thing luke sees is jack pouring a bottle of vodka into the punch bowl while the other four scope the area.

 

"ah, so he's /that/ person," ashton muses, watching jack with admiration.

 

"luke! hey!" calum exclaims, beckoning luke over.

 

"hey! you guys know ashton. ashton, this is calum, jack, rian, alex, and zack." calum then scolds luke for never introducing them properly. luke avoids saying he frankly didn't want ashton to know them.

 

ashton is chirpy and invites luke's friends to go hang out with ashton's. they somehow agree through an unspoken eye-conversation.

 

they all click. everyone. with no struggle whatsoever. its almost like it's natural.

 

luke thinks he's falling in love with ashton even more when he gets to know the curly-haired-boy's friends. 

 

and the night gets even more incredible when the slow dance is announced and ashton takes luke's hand. luke isn't surprised when ashton gets all cheesy with "care to dance?" luke rolls his eyes, but of course he wants to dance with ashton.

 

"are we in a movie?" luke asks. honestly though.

 

"not that i know of," ashton laughs. he stops for only a quick second and it looks like he's thinking seriously about something. "so i'm just gonna come right out and say this-- look, you know i like you, okay? i like you a lot, you know that." if luke's being honest, he didn't know that but. "and i wasn't gonna do anything and hope that we could figure it out on our own but louis got pissed at me so lukewillyoubemyboyfriend?" luke furrows his eyebrows when ashton gives a toothy grin as if he's awaiting luke's answer but how in god's name was luke supposed to understand that? ashton sighs with frustration-- "luke, will you be my boyfriend?" luke can definitely understand this time.

 

"yes," luke breathes out somehow. he doesn't even delay his answer for once-- this is serious shit. "yeah, i-yes. of course-its-yes, definitely."

 

"how many other ways can you say yes?" ashton teases with a laugh, all in relief.

 

"uh, do we kiss now?" luke mumbles. god, why the hell did he say that? thirty seconds of having a boyfriend and he already blew-

 

ashton answers yes with his lips in the best way.


End file.
